Belgian Army Battalion in Romania for the Dacian Spring exercise
Four thousand soldiers from ten allied countries participated this month in the multinational exercise Dacian Spring, organized in Romania
România Internațional, 28.05.2025, 13:17
Four thousand soldiers from ten allied countries participated this month in the multinational exercise Dacian Spring, organized on Romanian territory. The exercise was led by the Multinational Division South-East, and the training took place in the training ranges of Smârdan (east), Cincu (center), Bogata (northwest), Capu Midia (southeast) and Frecăței (east). Structures from all categories of forces of the Romanian Army, as well as personnel from the Multinational Command Brigade South-East and contingents of allied countries took part in the Dacian Spring exercise. The main goal of the exercise was to practice a collective defense operation and strengthen the integration of the participating forces into the command and control architecture of the multinational division. For the first time, a maneuver battalion from the Belgian army was deployed to Romania for this exercise, which trained together with a Romanian tank battalion, at the Bogata training range in Cluj County.
Major Van Herck is the deputy commander of the Belgian battalion and was very pleased with the cooperation with the Romanian military: “It is a landmark moment for the Belgian Land Forces. It is also an important stage for us, because it is the first time in a long time that we are deploying a large-scale battle group. And especially on the eastern flank. The proactivity of the Romanian Armed Forces is something that impresses us. We are very happy to work with them and we learn a lot from each other. The main advantage of the Romanian Armed Forces is that they still have something that we, the Belgian Armed Forces, no longer have, namely the tank combat capability and the armored capability. So, we, as infantry people, are very pleased to collaborate with them, especially with the tank battalion located here in Bogata, because we cannot conduct this type of training at home, in Belgium.”
The Belgian officer also stressed the importance of each allied nation in strengthening the defense on NATO’s eastern flank and believes that exercises such as Dacian Spring should be organized constantly: “Based on the new NATO defense plans, it is natural to strengthen our forces in order to have a deterrent effect on the eastern flank. It is a reference point, an important stage for the extended collective defense on this eastern flank. Belgium assumes its role within NATO, alongside France and of course, the Romanian Armed Forces. But we have to look at this on a large scale, and this means the collective defense of the entire eastern flank of Europe. We are currently deploying a large battle group, for the first time in a long time. We are impressed by the Romanian Armed Forces. We are happy to work with them and with the French Armed Forces who are stationed here. We hope to return here in the future with other force deployments, such as the battle group that we see today”.
For the Belgian military, the Dacian Spring exercise was a very useful experience. Joint training with the military of other allied nations showed them how to act in larger scenarios. “Thanks to the Dacian Spring exercise, we learned exactly what our role is in a larger framework. We are learning what our role is together with the French Armed Forces. We are learning what we can do together with the Romanian Armed Forces. Interoperability between different nations is really important. And this aspect can be seen during the Dacian Spring exercise,” Major Van Herck concluded.
The Belgian armed forces also contribute troops to the NATO Battle Group in Romania, one of eight allied structures of this type operating in the eastern part of Europe, part of the North Atlantic Alliance’s defense and deterrence posture in the region. (MI)
